Strangers on a Train
by Mystical Light
Summary: Charlie meets a certain someone while en route to a LARPing weekend. Post 8x20


Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural, Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, all of which are mentioned in this short story.

I wrote this before 8x21 aired so things don't exactly match up with what we learned in the episode but it was still an enjoyable experience to write this piece about the meeting of these two characters. Enjoy :)

* * *

The guy wearing the trenchcoat by the pole ten feet away was unblinkingly staring at her. Not at the schedule or at the obnoxious evangelist or even at the dude playing the violin right fracking next to him. Charlie tried to rationalize it for herself for a minute - maybe he wasn't looking at her per say…

She looked over her shoulder and behind her was just a blank, cement wall.

"Blerg."

Okay, to be fair, this time she wasn't running; her car broke down and was in the shop so her only option to get to Michigan was taking the 354 train. But still...dude wasn't even blinking. It was just…creepy.

It took another fifteen minutes for the train to arrive and Charlie made sure she was the first to get on and find her seat. She plopped herself down into her seat and put her music on shuffle. A second later, The Pet Shop Boys came on and Charlie relaxed. Suddenly a dark shadow loomed over her and Charlie looked up and gulped.

Creepy dude at three o'clock!

He was holding something in his hands and Charlie looked at it, suddenly feeling stupid. It was her 4th Doctor scarf, a gift from two girlfriends ago. It must've fallen off her bag when she wasn't paying attention. Stupid Charlie! Stupid, stupid -

"Thanks dude," she said, taking the scarf and the guy nodded all seriously. He hitched his backpack over his shoulder and walked two more rows behind her before taking his own seat.

Settling in, Charlie went back to her music and shut her eyes, feeling a need to doze for a while.

* * *

_Charlie tripped and fell a few feet behind Hermione Granger, both of their wands held aloft to light their way through the encroaching darkness. _

_"Come on," Hermione shouted over the intense and bloody battle happening all around them on Hogwarts school grounds, reaching out to grab Charlie before she could fall a second time. _

_"I can't do it 'H'." _

_"Yes you can. Get up, you lazy -"_

The train lurched forward and Charlie faceplanted into the seat in front of her which was thankfully squishy enough to not damage her perfect face. Charlie looked around at the other passengers and everyone was up and chatting, save the coat dude. What was happening?

"Passengers," the conductor's voice said through the intercom, "I'm sorry but we're going to be stuck here for a little while so if you'd all sit tight we'll get you to where you need to go as soon as we're back online."

Everyone moaned and groaned but no one as loud as the woman hogging the armrest sitting right next to Charlie.

"Oh, I'm going to be _late_. I _need_ to be _there_. Why does this have to happen to _me_, today of all days?"

"Where do you need to be?" Charlie asked before she could stop herself.

The woman turned up her nose to Charlie and said obnoxiously, "Pierre is waiting for me in the city."

"Pierre?"

"My hair stylist."

"Your, your hair..." Urge to facepalm rising...

The woman actually had tears in her eyes as she ran off towards the restroom, grabbing her IPhone 5 out of her pocket as she went.

A baby's cry abruptly caught Charlie's attention and she looked back to see coat dude listening to the young mother sitting next to him as she tried to get her little boy under control. She heard the words 'doctor' and 'only one' drifting from the woman's mouth and the guy nodded understandingly. Charlie watched as the guy touched the child gently on the arm and the crying just stopped.

"Oh, Jimmy..." the mother said and she saw the dude visibly flinch at the name.

"Excuse me," he said and left going towards the restroom himself, taking his backpack with him.

Charlie's weirdometer began to buzz. Time to investigate. Getting up herself now, Charlie grabbed her own bag and walked but couldn't help but look down at the baby as she passed. The mother was smiling with tears in her eyes as the boy laughed, waving his little arms up and down.

"You have an adorable little boy," Charlie said, waving at the baby herself.

"Thank you," the woman said back, relief evident in her voice and Charlie continued on her way.

She had watched him walk into the cabinet sized bathroom and Charlie carefully put her ear against the door, belatedly thinking about the amount of germs entering her body at this very second.

Nothing.

She knocked and said loudly, "Hey, guy, you going to be long in there?"

While saying that, Charlie tried jimmying the lock with a pen and watched the sign switch from 'Occupied' to 'Vacant'. Before Charlie could even pull the door open however, the guy inside opened it himself.

"Um, thanks." Charlie stepped aside so he could come out and Charlie was about to close herself in when she looked up. He met her, eye for eye, and it had to be the lights or something because she had to wait a minute and breathe.

"Wow, you have really dreamy eyes."

Dude tilted his head and asked, very seriously (since that was apparently his only default setting), "Are you attempting a flirtation?"

"What," Charlie asked, shaking her head and trying not to blush, "No! No, you are definitely not my type." And then because she felt like she'd upset him in some way because he seemed really, really sweet, not to mention confused, she touched him on the wrist and gave him her super special _I'm a nervous wreck here. Just take the compliment and please let me go back to what remains of my life_ smile.

The guy looked down at their hands and up at her again and said matter-of-factly, "You are upset."

"What?" Charlie squeaked, "No..."

Red alert! Red alert! That little alarm that sounds like a foghorn was going off in Charlie's head when she shook her head and flipped her hair over her shoulder.

The guy used his thumb to rub a calming circle on the back of her hand and continued without preamble, "What happened was not your fault and I'm very sorry that you lost her."

And then he said the one word that of anyone who's ever known her, no one has called her in a very, very, _very_ long time.

He said her name.

Tears sprang up into her eyes once again for what had to be like the fifth time this week. Something clicked and she knew exactly who this was and she knew exactly what she had to say to gain his trust. Charlie took a minute to compose herself and looked into the man's (angel's) eyes and said, "They're okay."

"They?"

"_They_" she said, using some serious eyebrow action so he'd understand.

His eyes widened marginally and he licked his lips. "You, you know...?" he stuttered and Charlie silently thought to herself proudly, 'Ha, I just surprised a friggin' angel.'

"I just met with them a few days ago. Helped them with a little _problem_," she said, smiling and leaning her head forward slightly before pulling back. And because she couldn't help it, she added, "I think Dean misses you, like, mad crazy."

"He was mad and crazy?"

Charlie knew she shouldn't laugh but she really needed one. She let go of his hand and pulled him towards her, giving him a hug she felt like he needed and, well, she kind of needed one too.

"I know you can't tell me where you're going, Cas, but don't you think you should contact the boys? Let them know you're okay?"

Their conversation was interrupted by some jerk who decided to cough in an obviously fake way who asked, "You done princess?"

Charlie rolled her eyes and motioned that the guy have his turn and once the restroom door was shut, she stuck her tongue out in a fairly mature way. Then, remembering the angel, she turned to see Castiel glaring at the door himself.

"That man was very unfriendly."

"Major asshat," Charlie agreed.

She turned back to the angel and gave him one more hug and she was pleasantly surprised when he squeezed her back.

"Stay the path," she said while pulling away. "You step into the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there is no knowing where you might be swept off to."

He thanked her with an upturn of the lips and as Charlie began to walk back to her seat, he said to her back, "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities. Your choices have not been easy, Charlie, and I pray for a safe journey for you and all. This planet deserves good people such as yourself to do good things upon it. To keep others safe."

Slowly Charlie turned back, feeling a smile worm its way back up her cheeks. "Did you just...quote Harry Potter to me?"

He blushed. "I was...ill for some time a year ago," he said, "and I found some books in a shop. I read them. They were...enjoyable."

"Well, well, well - we're going to have to discuss them. Next time, of course. It was a pleasure to finally meet you, Castiel."

"Next time," he agreed.

* * *

I hope I got the voices right. I was a bit nervous about Charlie since I'd never written her before. Also, I wasn't going to give Charlie a "real" name. I didn't want to give her one when I feel like the character needs to give it to us herself when she's ready. I didn't want to pull a Moffat, lol. Thank you very much for reading.


End file.
